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UW-Stout’s Fab Lab hosts regional high school teams in Make48 engineering, innovation competition
Nov 16 2023Two days, six regional high school teams, one problem to solve.To celebrate the maker mindset, UW-Stout hosted Make48, a long-running 48-hour competition, in which students invent physical prototypes to solve real-world problems.Teams from Altoona, Chippewa Falls and Menomonie, as well as Amery, Neillsville and St. Croix Central, converged on UW-Stout...

The college admissions process can be stressful and time-consuming for high school students, their families and supporters.The University of Wisconsin-Stout’s admissions office team aims to simplify the process for first-year, transfer, re-entry and international students.To support a college-going culture, a new partnership between UW-Stout and Menomonie High School is streamlining...

Northwood Tech celebrates new mechatronics lab
Nov 14 2023Northwood Technical College celebrated the addition of a new advanced manufacturing training lab at the Rice Lake Campus on Friday. The new lab is part of the Housing Opportunity and Mobile Education Solutions Workforce Innovation Grant initiative with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. and state Department of Workforce Development.Speakers and...

Despite some concerns about a possible recession, the vast majority of manufacturers in a recent Wipfli survey expect their revenues to increase next year.The Milwaukee-based accounting and advisory firm yesterday released results of its latest online survey conducted via email in August. A total of 335 manufacturing companies responded, 11%...

Gov. Evers, DWD Announce All-Time Record-High Number of Registered Apprentices in Program’s 112-Year History
Nov 14 2023MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today, together with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD), celebrated “National Apprenticeship Week” by announcing that Wisconsin’s Registered Apprenticeship Program has reached a record 16,384 enrolled apprentices, an all-time record in the program’s 112-year history and surpassing last year’s record-high participation. Gov. Evers announced...

The Greater Menomonie, Wis., area is home to manufacturing companies producing goods using the latest technologies and raw materials. We at the Greater Menomonie Development Corporation celebrate these companies’ employment opportunities and innovations that grow our economy.Manufacturing companies in Menomonie are helping break the perception that their jobs are monotonous...

How ‘Top Chef’ came to Dairyland
Nov 8 2023How did Wisconsin finally land “Top Chef?” The answer involves money. According to documents obtained by the Cap Times, Travel Wisconsin coordinated a total of $1.3 million in incentives from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation ($500,000) as well as tourism partners and agricultural marketing organizations, like Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin.Other...

For veterans and active military students, UW-Stout is the best public university in Wisconsin and one of the best places in the U.S. to earn a higher education degree.UW-Stout made the 2023 Best for Vets list, one of 325 in the country announced Monday, Nov. 6, by Military Times. Veterans...

It has been a continuous refrain since the pandemic upended many understandings about how the American economy is supposed to work: Across widely varying fields of work, there just aren’t enough people to fill all the available jobs.The reality, though, is that while the pandemic may have exacerbated the problem...

Brownfield sites are often associated with contamination and environmental hazards. Whether real or perceived, contamination may require costly cleanup efforts to make them viable for redevelopment.The level of contamination may vary depending on its previous use. “Old housing development, a commercial dry cleaner, railroad lines, kerosene soaked pilons on docks/piers,...

Governor’s Task Force on Workforce and Artificial Intelligence discusses the future of A.I. in Wisconsin
Oct 30 2023On Monday, Governor Tony Evers’ Task Force on Workforce and Artificial Intelligence held their first meeting where they discussed the future uses of A.I. in the state of Wisconsin, and how the current workforce could be impacted.The task force is used as a mechanism to better equip the workforce so...

Too often, initial discussions of community challenges can devolve into frustrating criticism sessions that reach a dead end, leaving opportunities for change in the dust. But across Wisconsin, communities are finding ways to move beyond complaining into a constructive approach to building the future. Community officials discussed their route to...

UW-Stout professors' sociology research supports Mayo Clinic's Advanced Care at Home program
Oct 28 2023What could health care of the future look like? It could look exactly like a program called Mayo Clinic Advanced Care at Home — hospital-quality care in your home — that already is offered at select locations across Mayo Clinic.Just like it sounds, ACH gives certain types of patients the...

Employment after prison can benefit business
Oct 27 2023Bill Harrigan invests in people and sells trust.This is how Harrigan characterizes his work as founder and CEO of Harrigan Solutions, a Grafton firm that assembles teams of workers—including formerly incarcerated people and refugees—in trustworthy teams to provide sanitation in food plants, preventative maintenance on production equipment, and work at...

Despite global pressures in the last few years, Wisconsin’s economy remains strong — thanks in large part to the work ethic of its labor force.That was the message from state officials at the 2023 Wisconsin Economic Summit Monday in Appleton, hosted by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. While officials said...

A center at UW-Stout will help equip and empower students with financial knowledge to create a successful and sustainable future for themselves.The newly opened Financial Wellness and Literacy Center on campus works with students on various financial topics, focusing on paying for college, budgeting, scholarships and financial aid resources with...

Closing the Workforce Gap: How Economic Developers Can Address Shortages in the Job Market
Oct 23 2023The modern job market is evolving rapidly, driven by technological advancements, shifting demographics, and changing economic landscapes. As a result, many regions across the globe are facing significant shortages in the workforce, posing challenges to economic growth and development. However, with the right strategies and initiatives, economic developers can play...

More than 400 community and business leaders, government officials and educators are gathering for the Wisconsin Economic Summit in Appleton Monday and Tuesday to celebrate the successful public-private partnerships and innovative workforce solutions that are driving our state’s economy forward.The second annual summit, hosted by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation...

The Biden-Harris Administration announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service is making nearly $50 million in grant funding available for proposals that support crucial links between resilient, healthy forests, strong rural economies, and jobs in the forestry sector. Made possible by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, a key...

Biohealth companies in south central Wisconsin are drawing on the region’s growing pool of skilled talent as they expand.Speaking yesterday during the Wisconsin Biohealth Summit hosted by BioForward Wisconsin in Madison, panelists acknowledged the workforce challenges facing most industries in Wisconsin. But they said the influence of UW-Madison and established...

School districts across the state are encouraged to apply for a new round of Wisconsin Fast Forward grants from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD).Under the Expanded Wisconsin Fast Forward program, nearly $1 million in grant funds are available to help Wisconsin school districts teach students to use advanced...

UW-Stout students team up with local children to design toys, give city ash trees new life
Oct 18 2023On an early fall morning, 23 children from St. Paul’s School of Menomonie recently walked four blocks to UW-Stout’s Woods Lab in Jarvis Hall Tech Wing, unknowing of what their day would bring.Lining up single file at the back of the classroom, they quietly peered over university students in a...

UW-Stout alum and Menomonie native Jessica Cook links business degree, passion for apparel at Swannies Golf
Oct 17 2023At first glance, Jessica Cook’s career and education don’t seem like a match. She designs golf apparel for the trending, Minnesota-based company Swannies Golf but has a degree in business administration.Cook’s career and degree link together nicely, however, because she took advantage of the Polytechnic Advantage at UW-Stout. When she...

Comprehensive student success, leading to graduates who are career-ready and STRONG, is the goal of a new, major federal grant awarded to UW-Stout.The $2.5 million award over five years from the U.S. Department of Education will help UW-Stout expand its ability to serve students, especially low-income, first-generation, and transfer.UW-Stout’s STRONG...